RIYADH — The Kingdom's borders are a “red line," Brig. Gen. Ahmed Al-Asiri, who is an adviser to the defense minister and spokesman for the Saudi-led Arab Coalition in Yemen, told Al-Hadath, the sister channel of Al Arabiya News Channel.
He said that Riyadh “will not accept any violations” after the Saudi military lost seven of its troops while trying to halt Houthi militias from infiltrating the kingdom’ border on Saturday.
Asiri urged the international community to “determine the fate” of the peace talks between the Yemeni warring sides in Kuwait after delays by the Houthis and their allies.
Asiri also said that Saudi Arabia is informing the UN envoy of “continuous” violations by the Yemeni militias.
To dismiss threats by the Houthis, Asiri said the militias’ “campaign on Saudi borders has no military goal,” emphasizing that the “Arab Coalition [in Yemen] will continue until the militias working against legitimacy [of the internationally recognized government of President Abdrabbu Mansour Hadi] end in Yemen.”
He also said that Houthis were sending child soldier recruits across the borders.
The Arab League and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation also expressed concerns over the regressing situation in Yemen.
Arab League’s spokesman Mahmoud Afifi said the 22-state regional organization emphasizes the “necessity” for the peace talks to go through, highlighting the need to implement UN Resolution no. 2216.
Security arrangements under Resolution 2216 require the Houthi militias and their allies to withdraw from areas they occupied in 2014 and the handover of weapons.
